Bottom draining spinning bucket



Dec. 29, 1953 H. D. HALEY 2,663,988

BOTTOM DRAINING SPINNING BUCKET Filed March 8, 1951 INVENTOR. HUGH D.HALE) 7 21-57 a Ma ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 29, 1953 BOTTOM DRAINING SPINNING BUCKET Hugh D. Haley,Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to American Viscose Corporation," Wilmington,Del., a corporation of Delaware Application March 8, 1951, Serial No.214,449

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in the construction ofspinning buckets and is concerned particularly with the drainage ofliquid material from the bucket and the alignment of yarn deliveryguides with respect thereto.

In large scale operations of centrifugal spinning equipment, such asthat used to collect cakes of viscose rayon yarn, it is quiteadvantageous to discharge the liquid carried into a spinning bucketthrough a funnel guide directly from the bottom surface of the bucketrather than permitting such liquid to work radially and upwardly throughthe yarn already collected in the bucket and then outwardly through orover the rim structure of the bucket. As the liquid material isgenerally of highly acid character which is corrosive with respect tomany of the materials that may be used in fabricating a spinning bucket,prevention of the passage of the liquid over or through the upperportions of the bucket substantially lowers maintenance costs andincreases service periods of such buckets if the liquid carried into thebucket may be eliminated in some other manner. The action of the acid inconjunction with the working of adjacent surfaces of the bucket and thecover, and the abrasive action produced by particulate material carriedby the acid solution and lodged between these surfaces, produce rapiddeterioration and erosion of these surfaces.

Spinning buckets have heretofore been constructed which provide drainagethrough the bottom thereof. However, when aluminum, or other materialwhich is not resistant to acid, is used as the principal fabricatingmaterial of a bucket having radial passageways in the bottom thereof fordischarging the acidic liquid material, a corrosion problem occurs whichhas not heretofore been satisfactorily solved because of the difficultyof coating the aluminum surfaces within the passageways.

It is an object of the invention to provide a spinning bucketconstructed of aluminum, or other material which may be non-resistant tocorrosive action, having an improved system for draining the bucket.Another object is to incorporate adual-purpose well or depression in thebucket as a part of the drainage systemwhich may also be used incentering a funnel guide with respect to the bucket axis. It is also anobject to provide buckets constructed primarily from aluminum or othermaterial lacking in acidresistance which are less subject to sludgeformation around the rim section thereof, and less subject to damagefrom corrosion and abrasion.

2 Other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from thefollowing description of the invention and the drawing relating theretoin which Fig. l is an elevation partially in'section of a spinningbucket in accordance with the invention, and a funnel guide centeringdevice;

Fig. 1a is a fragmentary section view of a funnel guide;

Fig. ibis an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a top view of an insert included in the construction of thebucket of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the bottom of a bucket, afunnel centering device, and a lower portion of a funnel guide stem; and

Fig. 4 is a broken view partially in section of an implement forremoving the funnel centering device of Fig. 3 from the bucket.

To carry out the objects of the present invention, a spinning bucketisprovided with a well or depression accurately centered within theillterior bottom surface of the bucket, and passagewaysleading radiallyfrom the well to the exterior of the bucket and extending through tubesof acid-resistant material having exterior surfaces in tightly-fittingor sealed relationship with complementary bores through the materialcomprisin the lower portion of the bucket. The

well is shaped to receive a device for aligning a funnel guide with itsstem tip centered on the axis of the bucket.

Fig. '1 illustrates in section a bucket 5 having an interior lining 6 ofcorrosion-resistant material and a recessed bottom portion occupied byan'insert or liner 1 of corrosion-resistant material permanently securedwithin the bucket body. The bucket 5 is constructed in such a mannerthat materials which lack corrosion-resistance, especially resistance tostrong acid solutions, may be utilized in fabricating the body portionof the bucket. A material preferred in the construction of the bodyportion is aluminum since it is" light in weight, and readily cast andInashined. The insert 1 fits tightly and permanently within the recessprovided ,therefoir in the: body portion and is provided with a' recess9 defined by surfaces In and II. The circular tafpered surface I0 isaccurately centered with respect to the axis 'of rotation of the bucketso that a fixture may be used in conjunction with this tapered surfaceto position portions of a bracket l4 adapted to hold a funnel guide is(partly illustratedin Fig. 1a) accurately over the spinning bucket'tosupport the funnel guide with the lower tip thereof precisely centeredwith respect to the axis of rotation of the bucket. The surface II iscylindrical as shown, or if desired, it may taper to a larger diametertoward the bottom of the recess so that liquid discharged from thefunnel is not urged centrifugally upwardly out of the recess of theinsert and into the strand material being collected within the bucket,but instead enters the tubes I9 hereinafter described.

The bracket I4 comprises an arm I ia having an aperture Mb, anexteriorly and interiorly threaded outer sleeve I5 extending through,and transversely movable within, the aperture Nb, and an inner bushingI6 having an outer threaded surface in threaded relationship with thebore of the sleeve I5. The bushing has a smoothsurfaced bore which iscomplementary to the outer surface lid of the fixture I2 and the outersurface I3a of the ferrule of the guide I3. To properly position thesleeve I5 and the bushing I6 within the arm I ia for supporting thefunnel guide. I3 over the bucket, the fixture I2 is temporarilysupported by the bracket I4, in lieu of the guide, with the tapered endof the fixture in engagement with the surface IQ of the insert. Whencomplete engagement of these surfaces is obtained, the lower taperedend-portion of the fixture is centered on the axis of the bucket. Toobtain the required adjustment of the sleeve I5 and the bushing I6 forsupporting the guide I3 of Fig. 1a, the sleeve I5 is moved laterally andthe bushing I6 is adjusted vertically relative the sleeve until thetapered surfaces of the fixture I2 and the insert 1 engage. To obtainlateral adjustment of the sleeve and the bushing, the sleeve I5 (withthe lock-nut I5a screwed out of engagement with thebracket Ma) isadjusted along the upper surface of the bracket laterally of the bucketaxis until the correct position of the sleeve and the bushing isobtained over the recess 9; the nut I5a is tightened to maintain thedesired position. The bushing is turned within the sleeve until it justengages the under surface of a nut I2b of the fixture.

The upper portion of the fixture I2 is threaded to receive a nut I2b anda head I20 having a complementarily threaded bore. The nut I21) isadjusted to a predetermined position along the threaded portion of thefixture I2 wherein the lower surface of the nut corresponds to thedesired distance above the interior bottom surface ofthe bucket at whichthe under surface of a flange I30 is disposed when the funnel guide I3is supported by the bracket. The head I2c'is tightened against the nutI2b to maintain a desired adjustment thereof. If desired, other meansfor providing a shoulder surface, such as a flange, may be provided inlieu of the nut IZb on the fixture I2 to obtain a surface for engagingthe upper end surface of the bushing I6.

The top surface I2d of the head I20 lies in a plane normal to the axisof the thread bore of the head and the spindle portion of the fixtureI2. On the surface I2d is mounted a spirit level gage I2e so that whenthe fixture I2 is used to affect lateral and vertical adjustments of afunnel guidebracket, any misalignment of the bracket will be alsoindicated by rotation of the fixture through a 90 angle; adjustment ofthe bracket is then made-so that a funnel guide may be supported by thbracket with its yarn passageway in accurate vertical alignment.

When the fixture I2 is removed from the bracket I4 and replaced by afunnel guide, the

4 guide stem is thus centered along the axis of the bucket, and at aprecise distance from the bottom surface of the spinning bucket when thetraverse mechanism for reciprocating the bracket is and the funnel guideis at the bottom of its stroke.

The bucket body is provided with radial bores or passageways I! whichextend from the recess 8 to the outer surface of the hub of the bucket.The passageways I! are contiguous with passage- 'Ways Ila of th insert Iwhich are similar in cross section to, and coaxially aligned with thepassageways I'i'. In order to obtain precise alignment of thepassageways Ila, the insert 7 is preferably secured within a bucketalready provided with the passageways I'I. With the insert I in place,passageways IIa may be formed by inserting a drill bit through thepassageways I'I. Each passageway IT and th passageway I'Ia contiguoustherewith are lined with a tube IQ of an acid-resistant material toprotect the surfaces of the passageways I! from corrosion. Tubes I9 maybe fabricated, for example, from polyethylene, a vinyl resin, some typesof stainless. steels, corrosion-resistant metallic alloys,corrosion-resistant metals, phenolic resin and fabric laminates, asilicone resin, polytrifiuorochloroethylene, or phenolic resins.Adhesive and/or sealed relationship is preferably obtained between theouter surface of tubes I9 and the surfaces within the bores I'Ia of theinsert. At the time of insertion, an adhesive cement may be applied tothe outer surfaces of the tubes I9 to obtain a liquid-proof bond orseal. The tubes I9 are preformed, or after installation, the ends of thetubes I9 are carefully trimmed, so as to be flush with the surface H. Aneffective seal between the tubes I9 and the passageways He may beobtained when the insert '1 and the tubes are fabricated from the samethermoplastic composition or thermoplastic compositions having similarsensitivity to heat so that a heated device may be applied to portionsof the tubes I 9 within the passageways Ila and softened or melted intobonded relationship with the material of the insert.

Fig.2 illustrates the insert or liner I as removed from the bucket bodyof Fig. 1. As shown, the insert I has three radially extendingpassageways Ila, located at degrees apart with respect to the axis ofthe insert, which receive the tubes I9.

h Fig. 3 illustrates a fragmentary bottom portion of the bucket 5 withthe surface of the recess 8 being coated with an extension 6a of thecoating 6. The recess 8, after being coated, receives a removable insert23 temporarily placed thereinto for the purpose of obtaining accuratepositioning of a funnel guide having the lower end of its stem extendingover a centering boss 24 of the insert. The insert is provided with aring 26 of magnetically-sensitive material which may be imbedded in thematerial of the insert. In one economically fabricated form, the insert23 comprises a material which is molded around the ring 2%; The radiallyoutersurface of the insert is formed by molding, machining, orany otherpractical method and fits with close clearance within the surface of thecoating 6a which covers the lateral surfaces of the recess 8. The insert23 fits within the recess 8 preferably with a=minimum of loosenesspermitting easy insertion and removal. The boss 24 i accurately centeredwith respect ,to the outer surfaces of theinsert so-that when the insertis positioned in the bucket recess 8, the boss .z laccurately positionsthe tip of a funnel guide stem 34 placed therearound with respect to thebucket axis. The insert is readily removed by an implement 28 such asillustrated in Fig. 4 comprising a handle portion 29, the shank portion38, and a flared portion 3! in which a magnet 32 is secured. The insert23 may be readily'positioned in the box by hand; removal of the insert,however, is facilitated by a device such as the implement 28.

The bucket 5 is provided with passageways l7 and tubular liners [9a ofcorrosion-resistant material (Fig. 3) which terminate atthe-bottom' ofthe recess 8. A sealed joint is obtained between the ends of the tubesIda and portion ta of the corrosion-resistant material comprising theinner liner of the bucket 6 to prevent access of corrosive fluids to thematerial constituting'the bucket body. Liquid material discharged fromthe lower end of the funnel stem 34, drops into the recess 8, and ispromptly carried therefrom under the action of centrifugal force andgravity to the tubes 19a to a region exterior to the bucket.

For use in the collection of regenerated cellulose yarns, the coating 6(and em may comprise any composition having as its basic ingredient, ahighly acid-resistant resinous material. Some of the synthetic resinswhich are suitable in forming the coatings are phenolic resins andpolyethylene, polymers and copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinylidenechloride, alkyd resins and polymerized fluorinated ethylenic compoundssuch as polytetrafiuoroethylene and polychloro trifluoroethylene.

In accordance with the present invention, a spinning bucket may beconstructed with the body portion thereof fabricated from materialswhich lack corrosion-resistance, such a bucket being provided with,however, a central well and passageway system which permits the drainageof the bucket through the bottom surface thereof, and the use of a guidecentering system of which the well constitutes a cooperating portion. Asa further advantage, a bucket such as herein described may beconstructed without the passageways that are ordinarily provided alongthe rim portion for drainage. A spinning bucket such as herein describedmay be constructed, for example, of aluminum and be used forsubstantially longer service periods before any breakdown occurs in theportion of the coating that extends over'the interior surfaces of therim section or surfaces closely adjacent thereto; sludge formation onthese surfaces is also reduced. The discharge of acidic liquid materialfrom such buckets in a downward direction toward the bottom of aspinning bucket compartment or nest 1 results in substantial reductionin the amount of toxic fumes discharged through the lid of thecompartment. Because of the rapid rotation of the buckets, strongcurrents are developed within the atmosphere of the compartment adjacentthe compartment lid. When liquid is discharged from the top portion ofthe box, the liquid is immediately disintegrated into spray and vaporwhich is carried to some extent outwardly through the compartment lidaperture and/or past the seating surface for the lid. The bucketsconstructed as herein described discharge the liquid toward the outletof the compartment. As this outlet is conventionally placed near thebottom and connected with a vacuum, the liquid and the obnoxious fumessuch as carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, or the like are promptlyremoved from the compartment.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it is to be under stood that changes and variations may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention asdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spinning bucket having a substantially vertical axis of rotationand comprising a bucket body having a recess accurately centered withrespect to the axis within the interior bottom surface of the body andradial passageways extending from the recess to the exterior surface ofthe body, a liner of corrosion-resistant mate rial which constitutes theinterior surface of the bucket including the recess, and tubular linersof corrosion-resistant material for the passageways, each tubular linerconnected in a sealed joint with the liner within the recess, theinteriors of the tubular liners being open at both ends to providepassageways for connecting the recess with a region outside the bucket.

2. A spinning bucket having a substantially vertical axis of rotationand comprising a bucket body having a recess accurately centered withrespect to the axis within the interior bottom surface of the bucket, aninsert of corrosionresistant material secured within the recess of thebucket body, said insert having a recess in its upper surface accuratelycentered with respect to said axis, said insert and the bucket bodyhaving radial passageways extending from the recess of the insert to theouter surface of the bucket body, liners for the passageways in sealedrelationship with the insert and the bucket body at least at theterminal portions of the passageways, said passageways being. open atboth ends and contiguous with the region enclosed by the recess of theinsert, and all exposed interior and exterior surfaces of the bucketbody being coated with a corrosion-resistant material.

3. In combination with a spinning bucket having a recess accuratelycentered within the interior surface thereof with respect to its axis ofrotation, an adjustable support for a funnel guide, said support beingadjustable longitudinally and laterally with respect to the axis, meansfor ali ning and positioning the guide support over the recess, saidaligning means having a surface for engaging the support similar to asurface of the funnel guide which engages the support, and a taperedsurface in coaxial spaced relationship with the support-engaging surfacefor engaging the recess.

4. Apparatus for centering a funnel guide with respect to the axis ofthe spinning bucket comprising a support for the funnel guide, saidsupport being laterally adjustable with respect to the axis and saidbucket having a recess at least partially defined by a tapered surfacejoining with, and accurately centered within, the interior surfacethereof with respect to said axis, a removable fixture for positioningthe guide support over the recess, said fixture having an annularsurface for engaging the support similar to that of the funnel guidewhich engages the support, and a shank portion having a tapered endcoaxial with the support-engaging surface for engaging the recess.

5. In combination with a spinning bucket supported on a fixed verticalaxis of rotation and having an aluminum body portion, said bucket havinga recess accurately centered in the interior bottom surface thereof withrespect to said axis,

' and a support for a funnel guide, said support comprising means forholding the guide which is laterally adjustable with respect to theaxis, an in.

sert of corrosion-resistant material secured within the recess, theinsert having a recess centered accurately with respect to the axis, acoating of corrosion-resistant material extending over the innersurfaces of the bucket and being joined with the material of the insertin a liquid impervious joint, a fixture for positioning the holdingmeans over the recess, said fixture having an annular surface forengaging the holding means similar to that of the funnel guide forengaging the holding means, said fixture having a shank portionterminating in a tapered surface which is coaxial with the other-namedsurface of the fixture for engaging the recess of the insert when thefixture is mounted in the support.

6. In combination with a spinning bucket supported on a fixed verticalaxis of rotation, and having a recess accurately centered in theinterior bottom surface thereof with respect to said axis, a funnelguide, a support for the funnel guide comprising means for holding theguide which is laterally adjustable with respect to the axis, aremovable insert adapted to fit slidably within the recess, said inserthaving a boss extending from the surface thereof which is exposed whenthe insert is positioned within the recess, said boss being accuratelycentered with respect to said axis and having a peripheral sur faceadapted to fit in 'slidable relationship within the inner surface of thelower end-portion of the guide.

7. In combination with a spinning bucket having a recess accuratelycentered within the interior surface thereof with respect to its axis ofrotation, an adjustable support for a funnel guide, said support beinguniversally adjustable with respect to the axis, comprising a removablefixture for aligning and positioning the support over the recess, saidfixture having a peripheral surface similar to that of the funnel guidewhich engages the support and comprising a shank portion having atapered end surface coaxial with the support-engaging surface forengaging a surface of the recess, and level indicating means.

8. In combination with a spinning bucket having a recess accuratelycentered within the interior surface thereof with respect to its axis ofrotation, an adjustable support for a funnel guide, said support beinguniversally adjustable with respect to the axis, a removable fixture foraligning and positioning the support over the recess, said fixturehaving a peripheral surface similar to that of the funnel guide whichengages the support and comprising a shank portion having a tapered endsurface coaxial with the supportengaging surface for engaging a surfaceof the recess, a head portion having an upper surface extending in aplane normal to the axis of the shank portion, and a spirit levelmounted on said surface to indicate variance of the fixture with a truevertical alignment.

9. In combination with a spinning bucket having a recess accuratelycentered within the interior surface of the bucket concentricallyaboutits axis of rotation, a support for a funnel guide, means for adjustingthe support in directions substantially normal as well as parallel tosaid axis, said support having a surface for aligning the guide withrespect to the bottom of the bucket, and means simultaneously engagingsaid support surface and a surface within the recess to indicate therelative positions of the support and recess, said bucket havingpassageways extending radially from the bottom of the recess to an outersurface of the bucket for draining the recess.

10. A combination as defined in claim 9 wherein the bucket comprises ametallic body-portion and a liner of corrosion-resistant materialextending over at least the inner surface of the body portion, thesurface of the recess, and the surfaces of passageways within the bodyportion.

11. In combination with a spinning bucket having a recess accuratelycentered within the interior surface of the bucket concentrically aboutits axis of rotation, a support for a funnel guide, means for adjustingthe support in directions substantially normal as well as parallel tosaid axis, said support having a surface of substantially circular crosssection with its longi tudinal axis substantially parallel to said axisfor aligning the guide, and means simultaneously engaging said supportsurface and an annular surface of the recess to indicate the relativepositions of the support and the recess, said bucket having passagewaysextending radially from the bottom of the recess to an outer surface ofthe bucket for draining the recess.

HUGH D. HALEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,759,699 Hoey May 20, 1930 1,763,520 Hensing et al. June 10,1930 2,492,426 Haley Dec. 27, 1949

